As per sec. 4(1) of the Payment of Gratuity Act,1972, gratuity shall be payable to an employee on the termination of his employment only after rendering a continuous service of not less than five years. The termination of employment can be due to superannuation or retirement or resignation or dismissal or discharge or retrenchment or due to his death or disablement due to accident or disease as the case be. However, only in the case of death or disablement, the completion of five years is not necessary as per the provision to the above section.
Therefore, an employee leaving the job after four years of service is not eligible to gratuity under the Act.